Checkmate
by Higuchimon
Summary: Daisuke and Ken's chess game winds up with some interesting consequences, even for them. [no epilogue]


_**Legal Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters presented here and this is done only for entertainment purposes.   
**Title:** Checkmate   
**Romance:** Ken/Daisuke   
**Rated:** PG-13   
**Season/Timeline:** Digimon Adventure 02, sometime after episode 50, ignoring the epilogue.   
**Summary:** Daisuke and Ken play some chess, with consequences._

It was a tense moment. Everyone was watching. Ken felt a trickle of sweat go down his spine and hoped no one else had noticed. This was one of those things that had been _so_ much easier when the Dark Spore had been activated and he didn't have to _think_ about anything, he just did it all. Now not only did he have to think and plan things through, he had to fear making a mistake. _That just makes it more fun, though,_ he reminded himself. He'd been so busy being superior back then he hadn't had any fun with this. 

Now, playing chess was one of the few ways he still did have fun. It was about the only thing he did that didn't subtly remind him that he had once been one of the most evil beings in creation. He'd played chess long before the Spore had entered him. _Osamu taught me how._ He smiled in memory. That had been one of the good things about his brother. 

He pulled his mind away from the past and focused on the game beforehand. If he screwed this up, then he lost. But if he won...oh, the prize that had been offered. He wanted that prize, more than he could remember ever having wanted anything at all in the past. He shot a glance at it out of the corner of one eye, then returned his focus to the game. He was _not_ going to lose. 

There. That was the mistake his opponent had made. He felt a deep release of the tension inside, and knew he had this game won. He ran over all the other possible moves that either of them could make and nodded slightly to himself. He was right. He had it won. He carefully moved one piece and looked up at the face across the board. 

"Checkmate." 

Groans came up from all around, and Daisuke pouted so very beautifully at him. "Ken, that was just...that was _three moves_. We only played for _three_ moves and you _won_!" 

Ken leaned back with a faintly smug grin, folding his long fingered hands across his stomach, still flat and hard from his years of soccer and judo. "I warned you, Daisuke." He looked around at the rest of the Chosen. "Didn't I?" 

"He's right, Daisuke." Iori nodded quietly. "He did warn you. Remember he's been a champion at chess for years." 

The Chosen of Courage and Friendship sniffled cutely, then his face broke out into a wide grin. "Okay, you won. What were those stakes again?" 

Ken chuckled with a grin. "I do believe it was you." He licked his lips teasingly at Daisuke, marveling inwardly at how much several years could change someone. Not only was he now perfectly comfortable in the company of the Chosen Children, his friends, but he felt more than confidant enough in his relationship with Daisuke to tease him in front of them. 

"Oh, eek, help me." Daisuke's voice held only teasing joy as he moved over to sit on Ken's lap, curling one arm around his neck. "I'm going to have to serve you." He leaned over to plant a breath of a kiss on Ken's lips. "And just what are you going to make me do, hm?" 

The Child of Kindness reached up to run his fingers gently through Daisuke's thick reddish brown hair and grinned. "Well, we can start with you cleaning up the kitchen. It's a _mess_. V-mon and Wormmon made s'mores last night, and they neglected to clean up after themselves." 

Daisuke pouted, a real pout this time. "You want me to _clean_?" 

"I _did_ win you, remember?" Ken reminded him with a tap on the nose. "You have to do whatever I say for a whole week." 

Daisuke sniffled again. "And what about _after_ the week?" 

"Hm?" 

His deep brown eyes lit up with the kind of mischief that only Daisuke was capable of, and that sent warning chills and thrills down Ken's back. This could be fun. "At the end of the week, we'll have another chess game, and we'll see just who owns who when _that_ is over." 

Ken grinned. Daisuke seemed to be enjoying this as much as he was, and the evidence of that was both physical and verbal. "All right, it's a deal." He nudged Daisuke gently. "Now get in there and clean the kitchen." He dropped another kiss on Daisuke's lips. "We'll discuss what you can do for me after that...later." He nudged him slightly. "Now go clean, Daisuke." 

Taichi cleared his throat lightly as Daisuke got up and headed for the kitchen. "All right, I think _that's_ our cue to leave. Thanks for having us, Ken, and happy birthday again." 

"No problem. A guy only turns twenty-one once, after all." Ken waved his guests out and shut the door. All in all, it had been a very successful birthday party, he thought. No one had gotten dangerously drunk, everyone had had a good time, and he'd gotten Daisuke as a slave for a week. He had no intentions of overworking him or doing anything he might have when he was the Kaiser, but there was no use getting around it: the thought of having that glorious young man at his beck and call was one that had intoxicated him ever since he had first laid eyes on him. _I wasted a lot of opportunities back then. I am **not** going to waste anymore._

He leaned against the door to their apartment for a moment, listening to Daisuke clean in the kitchen and smiled. _I wonder what else I can make him do? Nothing **too** hard, I don't want to wear him out. Ohhh, there's an idea._ He grinned; this was going to be more fun than he'd even originally thought. 

While he waited for Daisuke to be finished, he cleaned up the rest of the mess that the party had left himself. The only reason he'd asked Daisuke to handle the kitchen was because it had been half his own partner's fault it was messed up in the first place. He rather missed Wormmon at the moment; the two Digimon had wished him a happy birthday, and then asked to be taken to the Digital World, apparently they had some kind of celebration of their own to take care of. He'd been glad to oblige; they could get rather noisy at times. _Just like Daisuke and I._ But that didn't change the fact he missed his partner. 

"All right, it's done," Daisuke popped into the kitchen door and peered at him, a streak of dirt across one cheek and sweat going down all over him. "Don't ask what I had to clean up in some of the corners. You _really_ don't want to know." 

Ken leaned back on his haunches and peered over at him. "You're probably right. I don't know _where_ they get such ideas from." He tried to look innocent, but Daisuke knew him better than anyone except maybe Wormmon. 

"Sure you don't, Mr. 'I have a subscription to every gay porn magazine on this continent.' And you _don't_ keep it locked up so they've probably been reading it for years now." 

Ken tried not to stutter in surprise; he hadn't precisely told Daisuke about that, but he hadn't _not_ mentioned it either, since Daisuke usually handled their mail, and could see the magazines when they came in. But his boyfriend had never exactly spoken to him directly about it either. 

"Hey, don't look at me like that." Daisuke shrugged and grinned. "I never said I _objected_ to you having all of those, did I?" 

"I suppose not." Ken stood up gracefully and stretched. "Now, let's see. What else can I have you do?" 

"How about take a shower?" His 'slave' suggested. "I am _wiped_. I've been on the move ever since I got up this morning." 

Ken grinned at him. "Oh, believe me, I know. I was there with you, remember?" A hot amethyst-eyed glance shot across the room to his lover, and Daisuke shivered a tad in delicious memory. "All right, _we_ can take a shower." 

Daisuke blinked a bit, then grinned. "And what else are we going to be doing in this shower, oh great master?" 

"I'll tell you when we get there, slave." Ken had never once thought that word could escape his mouth without sounding harsh and cold and demanding. Now he heard it wrapped in tones of love and compassion and passion. 

Daisuke almost beat him to the shower. 

The party had started about noon, and it had been just past sunset when the others had left. It was nearing midnight when Ken finally had a moment to think clearly again. He had been kept occupied all during the shower and afterwards by Daisuke. Not that he objected or minded or had protested of course. He had a nice warm comfortable Daisuke-blanket wrapped all around him, and even if things were a bit sticky, he was content. 

_I wonder if he really thought he could beat me._ He knew Daisuke more than well enough to know that it was entirely possible the redheaded wonder _had_ been convinced, at least briefly, that he could win the chess match. Daisuke knew how to play, Ken himself had taught him, but he'd never been fantastic at it. He was adequate at best, but sometimes Daisuke's enthusiasm and self-confidence got the better of him. _That isn't a bad thing. But was he really trying to win or did he want to lose?_

The fun part about living with Daisuke was that you could never really be certain about things like this. If Daisuke was in the right mood, he might have deliberately wanted to lose, just so he could play around at being Ken's slave. They'd talked about things before, and Ken had confessed that when he was the Kaiser, he'd _really_ wanted Daisuke, in just about every way one could think of. Maybe this was Daisuke's way of giving him what he wanted. 

_As long as we both know it's a game, and mutual, and I know we do, I don't think there's any harm in it._ He wasn't going to tie his beloved up or anything like that. Bondage games were fun, but he'd always really enjoyed being the victim of them instead of the instigator. Maybe he could get Daisuke to go along with it....he'd have to ask. The worst that could happen would be that he would say no. _There's just something delicious about giving control over to someone you love and trust. And the only person I really feel that way about **is** Daisuke._

He yawned, then snuggled into his adorable love. "Good night, Daisuke. I love you." 

* * *

The stakes had been a week of obedience, and Ken fully intended on enjoying that to the hilt. He'd decided not to bring up the question of consensual bondage until the week was done with; it just didn't quite seem _right_ when he thought about it in the light of day. Well, to be more specific, the thought of it seemed right, but _ordering_ Daisuke to tie him up and perform wanton acts of carnality (no matter how much fun they were for them both) just would lose some of the specialness of it. But as soon as that week was up, he fully intended on broaching the subject. 

Daisuke's duties were relatively light, of course, and mostly fun. He had to make breakfast for the two of them every morning (which Ken enjoyed, he usually cooked since he was the first one awake), and kept the apartment clean. That wasn't a stretch; he usually did that anyway. Ken had a month off from college, and Daisuke worked out of the apartment anyway, so they had a lot of time together, and Ken put it all to good use. 

They had agreed that even though Daisuke would obey Ken for that week while they were out doing things together in the city, neither would indicate in any way about their bargain to anyone who didn't already know. The Japanese were very slowly learning to accept same-gender romance, but the concept of master and slave, even for amusement, might have been pushing things just a little. The Chosen Children didn't have quite the same prejudices as their countryfolk, because of their strong ties to the Digital World, where no one gave a flying flip just who mated with whom. Ken was glad of that; he was fairly sure he would not have reacted well if he'd not been able to be at least partially open about his relationship with Daisuke. 

As the days of the week trickled on by, Ken got more and more creative with things for his slave to do. Some of the things he came up with will not be repeated here, for they are impossible to describe with mere words, but they both had a lot of fun with them. 

Daisuke never objected to anything that Ken suggested; indeed, he found just as much or more enjoyment out of it as his lover did. The redhead didn't mind giving orders sometimes, if it were necessary, and sometimes he'd wondered just what it would be like to be in complete control, willingly given, of his violet-eyed other half. _Maybe I'll talk to him about it._ He ran his fingers across Ken's chest and toyed briefly with the silky blue hair. Ken was asleep at the moment, worn out from all the fun they'd been having, and Daisuke took the chance to just lay across him and Ken-watch. That _was_ his favorite sport after all. Soccer came in second these days. 

The two of them lay in a sun-dappled glade in the Digital World, not too far from a crystal-clear river, where they had been swimming not that long beforehand. Daisuke yawned a little; he was fairly worn out himself from all that they had done, but he was going to stay awake a while longer. Ken hadn't _told_ him to rest, after all. Not that he probably hadn't wanted to, but the ex-Kaiser had been too tired himself to issue anything like an order. 

He gazed lovingly at Ken's angelic features. Rich blue hair, a shade almost never seen, topped him. Daisuke knew it was natural; every hair Ken had was blue. Even the light downy hair on his arms was a very _very_ pale shade of it. Though you couldn't tell by looking, that was how pale it was. Daisuke had found out only when he'd carefully plucked a hair from Ken's arm once and peered very closely at it under a microscope. He couldn't even remember why he'd done that now. Maybe it had just been curiosity. That got him into trouble sometimes. Fun trouble usually these days. 

Ken's eyes were closed, but Daisuke knew what they looked like behind those lids. Violet, sparkling, alive in a way that seemed almost unnatural at times, and always filled with some kind of emotion. Love, passion, gentleness, sometimes wildness, guilt, and regret, there was always _something_ there. Daisuke had made it his business for years to make certain the guilt and regret were almost never seen there. He knew that Ken felt sorry for the things he'd done, but he'd went out of his way to make certain Ken knew the past couldn't be changed, only learned from. 

_I think he's finally got **that** sunk into his head. About time._ He watched Ken for a few more moments, enjoying the way the breeze seemed to be playing with the strands of blue hair. _Lucky breeze. Lucky me. I get to do that **all** the time._

It wasn't really Ken's unusual coloring that had drawn him to their one time enemy. The drop dead good looks had been a part of it certainly; Ken was definitely easy on the eyes. But it had been the soft and gentle heart that beat underneath his fingers even now, still in time with his own, that had really done it. _I think...no, I **know** I'm the luckiest person who ever lived._

This wasn't to say that things had always been easy and fun for the two of them. There had been a lot of hard times, and they'd even broken up for a year once. But that had been good for them; it had given them perspective and they had grown together stronger than ever. Daisuke knew that a lot of his friends had broken up with people they cared for, and never talked to them as more than just mild friends again. _I'm so glad that isn't me._

Even when he was angriest at Ken, like when the other had been half-asleep and knocked over one of his best paintings, ruining it as it had fallen into a can of paint thinner, he had still loved him. _I think I loved him before I ever met him. It just took me a long time to figure out that's **who** I loved and wanted to be with._ Ken did have some habits that drove Daisuke up the wall, but he accepted those. They were part of what made Ken unique, and what made him _Ken_ in the first place. Daisuke knew he was no angel, and that he had some quirks that really got to his lover. But Ken put up with him because of them. _We're no fairy tale couple, but we do get along a lot._

He watched Ken sleep for a few more moments, and smiled. The week was almost over with. Which meant they were heading up to another chess match to determine who was going to belong to who. _I'm probably going to lose. Ken's just **better** than I am._

He didn't _mind_ losing, Ken was the best master he could ever have hoped for. _All that experience being the Kaiser._ Which was probably quite true, because it was that experience which had taught Ken what _not_ to do when he had someone at his beck and call. Besides, most of the things he'd been ordered to do that week had been beyond pleasurable. He shivered a bit just at the memory of them. 

Of course, it would be great fun if he could actually _beat_ Ken just once. The look on his face...ohhh, that would just be so much _fun_. He sighed mentally; that was probably about as likely as him sprouting wings and flying. He was a good player, but nowhere nearly as good as Ken. _That's what happens when you play a world-class champion._ Daisuke thought wistfully. 

Then an idea occurred to him. He had two more days left until the match. It wasn't much time, but he thought it _just_ might be enough to do what he wanted to do. But the first thing was to get some rest. There was no way he was going to be able to pull this off if he was too sleepy. He snuggled down onto Ken and was soon off in dreamland with his beloved. 

* * *

Two days later, he once again faced Ken across a chess board. The other Chosen were there of course; Daisuke and Ken had played chess against each other every week for years now, and they always watched to see what the outcome was. This was the first time the wagers had included services of the other, usually they played either for fun, or to see who handled the laundry or would do something rather weird. 

"So, whoever wins this, the other one is their slave for a week, just like before?" Ken wanted to make certain they had the rules very straight. Daisuke nodded, a confidant smirk on his face, just like last week. "All right. Let's get started." 

It was a very tense game. Daisuke had obviously been practicing, and he almost seemed to know what moves Ken was going to make before he actually made them. Ken found himself slowly being outfoxed again and again, and the cocky gleam to his opponent's eye never faded. Indeed, with every move it got stronger and stronger. 

"Daisuke, are you _sure_ you want to go through with this?" Ken tried to appear confidant, but he was sweating far worse than he had been the week before. Something was _definitely_ going on, and he didn't like it. Daisuke was always confidant, but this time around, it was almost as if he _knew_ he couldn't lose. More than just being sure, it was as if he'd played the game, and already knew it's outcome, to the point where he was playing just to amuse himself. Ken shuddered inwardly; was this how _his_ opponents felt when they were up against him? He was beginning to see how unassailable confidence could be the weapon that it was. 

"Of course. I know what I'm doing, Ken." He grinned as he made another move, and Ken looked at where the new piece was positioned. He licked his lips a little, and started to reach for a piece, then pulled his hand back. Something _was_ up, and he had no idea of what it was. That freaked him. 

_Daisuke is up to something._ He'd awakened the last two mornings with Daisuke already out of bed first, out of the apartment. His boyfriend had left a note both times, first saying he was going to get groceries, since they were low on some things, and second that he was out getting a special gift for Ken. Both of those things had been the truth, Daisuke had come back with an armload of groceries the first day, and a book that Ken had been wanting to find for the last year the second. But Ken still wasn't entirely certain that Daisuke hadn't been up to _something_. He didn't know what it was, but he just had a feeling. 

Ken looked at the board for a moment, then blinked. _He's won._ There was no move that he could make that wouldn't lead to Daisuke's eventual victory, if he kept playing the way he had been. _But he hasn't noticed it. If he did, he would've said something. Maybe I'll get lucky._ He wouldn't mind being Daisuke's slave for a week, but he was still going to play to win. 

He moved confidently, and shot a grin at Daisuke. "Your move, Daisuke." 

"As you wish," Daisuke grinned and moved easily. "Checkmate." 

Ken stared down at the board for a moment. This had to be a mistake. He _hadn't_ see that there. That was the next thing to impossible. "You...I...u...we..." Nothing coherent seemed to be able to come out of his mouth. 

Daisuke grinned at him. "I won, Ken." The rest of the group seemed just as stunned as Ken himself, with one exception. Daisuke looked over at that one and grinned. "Thanks to a little help." 

Ken followed Daisuke's eyes and almost fell over. "_Koushirou_?" 

The Child of Knowledge shrugged. "All I did was give him some tutoring in chess. That wasn't against any rules." 

"But...but..." All of Ken's eloquence seemed to have completely deserted him. "But..." 

Daisuke grinned teasingly. "That's a wonderful motorboard impression, Ken. But it wasn't just Koushirou. I started to think about all the games we've played together, and I really started to think about all of those that I used to see you play on TV. So I tracked down as many tapes of those as I could and I spent every spare moment I had when you weren't around watching them." He grinned a little. "Knowing your opponent is a basic piece of strategy." 

Ken shook his head, the reality that he'd been beaten slowly sinking in. "Well...all right, you won. So what do we do...master?" He grinned a bit, and Daisuke suddenly resembled a jack o'lantern. He gulped to himself. _I don't think I'm going to challenge Daisuke to another chess game...at least not with stakes like **these**._

Then again, once he found out just what Daisuke had planned, he decided just maybe he would challenge him to a lot _more_ like that...and losing wasn't so bad after all. 

**The End**


End file.
